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Astros getting used to regular series in Toronto

Astros getting used to regular series in Toronto

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Wallace's two-run blast 0:53

7/19/13: Brett Wallace gets all of Oliver Perez's pitch in the eighth, crushing a two-run homer to the second deck in right-center

By Brian McTaggart
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MLB.com |

TORONTO -- The Astros' trip north of the border for a four-game series against the Blue Jays marks only their second trip to Toronto. Until an Interleague series in 2011, it was the only city in which the Astros had never played. The Blue Jays and Astros will play yearly now as members of the American League.

And plenty has changed since the Astros' last trip to Toronto, May 20-22, 2011. In fact, the only player currently on Houston's roster who appeared in any game in that series two years ago was Brett Wallace, who was traded to the Astros from the Jays in 2010. Wesley Wright was in the Minor Leagues, and Jose Altuve and J.D. Martinez would make their Major League debuts later that season.

"It's crazy," Wallace said. "There's been so much turnover, and new guys coming in, guys getting traded. It's kind of exciting in the same sense. When we were here last time, we were kind of like, in the middle of the pack, and we weren't winning like we wanted to, but we weren't really in full-blown rebuild mode yet.

"It's kind of fun now that we have so many young guys here now who can come in here and play a really talented team and continue to take steps forward."

Wallace, who was drafted by the Jays out of high school in 2005 but didn't sign, spent Spring Training in 2010 with Toronto, which acquired him in a trade with Oakland. He roomed with Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia and still remains close with several players on Toronto's roster.

"They were all great, and it will be fun to see a lot of them," he said.